SDIF-supported project helps hospital cut water use by 15%

WINNIPEG, MAN-An innnovative water-saving demonstration project at Seven Oaks General Hospital in north Winnipeg is being funded by a $25,000 grant from Manitoba's Sustainable Development Innovations Fund (SDIF). The $140,000 project has reduced water usage by 5,800 imperial gallons per day, or 15%, since the system. The new system, which began operating at the hospital in mid-February, diverts clean water, a byproduct of the hospital dialysis unit's filtration of city water, to supply steam sterilizers for surgical instruments and supplies. Previously, the hospital was draining 6,800 cubic metres (1.5 million imperial gallons) per year of clean, usable water into the sewer. The system is expected to pay for itself within seven years and is considered a feasible cost-saving measure for any hospital with both surgery and dialysis services.